


A Curse Upon the Land Part 2(a)

by acidtiger



Series: A Curse Upon the Land [2]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Forgotten Realms
Genre: After all this time..., Elves, F/M, Half-Elves, Magic, Making up & Making out, Minor Angst, Reunions, Shapeshifting, Temporary Amnesia, level up!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-10-18 11:05:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10615602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acidtiger/pseuds/acidtiger
Summary: DISCLAIMER: The Original Characters belong to their respective player/creator. The NPCs and setting are not my own, I have shaped/adapted them to suit my needs, but they the property of Wizards of the Coast.I had two ending ideas for Mason and Alleria. One short, one long. This is the short version.Again...based on a loose adaptation of a Curse of Ravenloft campaign. Though, these events happen more than a century later.My deepest apologies to Baasha's player too, I can't help but feel guilty for turning her into the bad guy when she never had any interest in Mason.





	1. Reunion

                It had been over one hundred years since Alleria left Barovia. She had, like the others in the group, passed through the mystical gates and been returned to Toril. She had not been taken by the Mists together and thus Alleria was returned to the Dalelands, alone. She had tried her best to put the events out of her mind. It had taken nearly a decade, little time to an elf, to track down Mason. He had settled down in Daggerford with Baasha and made a life for themselves.  They had one small child, a son and Baasha had another on the way.

                Alleria had no idea what became of the vial of memories. She assumed, at first, that Mason at the very least must not have opened them. Only after a long moment did it occur to her that perhaps Masons feelings for Baasha were stronger than those he had for her. Perhaps he still felt that strong negativity towards Elves.

                Stubborn and unwilling to give up, the Elf Druid planted a tree on the edge of their homestead.  She instructed the oak to watch over Mason and his family. To keep her informed about their lives. The oak had grown talk and strong, an elder among the local flora. It had called to her across the Green; there was trouble. So here she was, one hundred and fourteen years later, back in Daggerford.

                In the guise of a raven, she landed on the sill of an open window. Inside the small cottage, Mason laid in bed, surrounded by his many generations of his family. Baasha was not there. She had been human after all, and had passed decades earlier. The oak had informed Alleria, but she hadn’t gone then. The pain would have still been too fresh, the betrayal still too much. But now, with Mason on his deathbed, she had to return.

                The large black bird hopped off the skill and fluttered to the foot of the old man’s bed. ‘Mason?’ She reached out to his mind, testing to see if the link was still there. Hoping that at some point, he had found his lost memories. But, sadly, no response came. Not caring about appearing overly dramatic, she hopped down off the bed and shapeshifted back to her Elven self.

                There were startled cries from Mason’s clan, but he himself showed no outward sign of shock.

                 “My eyes aren’t the best, but you haven’t changed a bit.” He said, softly, his voice a pale version of the one she had known.

                 “You…you look so old.” Alleria said with a touch of sadness. All the lost years stabbed at her heart. All that could have been but wasn’t. She cursed her petty anger that had kept her away, the hurt that had made her not stay and fight for him. Her anger came out as bluntness, to an extreme degree even for an Elf.

                 “Baasha, she did not give you the vial containing your memories then? I gave them to her. You left Barovia before I could give them to you directly.” Her tone was curt.

                 “My memories” No…” Confusion was etched on his face. He looked to his family around him, his children, grandchildren and even a host of great grandchildren. They were all a result of his relationship with Baasha. His loving wife. The woman who had kept a secret from him all those years.

                 “Leave us, please.” He said with no further response to their confused looking faces. Only his eldest son lingered. “If you’re expecting me to be upset, or angry, you’re mistaken, Alleria. Baasha gave me a good many great years and a loving family. Something you would not have.”

                 “You are correct.” Alleria said with a brusque nod. She was keeping her distance from his bed, from him. Folding her arms across her chest, unconsciously, she stayed firmly planted a few feet from him. Her face was dispassionate, doing her best to hide the emotional conflict brewing in her belly. “But, I loved you and you must excuse me if I feel a little cheated. I do not know what sort of life we would have had together, but whatever it would have been, it was stolen from us. Twice.”

                 “Father.” Mason’s full grown son, far much older than he would have been when he met Alleria, spoke up. He was likewise dark haired, but betrayed barely a hint of the Elven heritage from Mason’s side. “I think I know what the Elf speaks of.” He left the bedroom for a long moment, returning with a small velvet pouch. “I found this once, as a child. Mother scolded me soundly and re-hid it.” He offered them both a slight grin that Alleria recognized immediately. “She wasn’t very good at such things though, and I found it again a few years later.”

                He crossed the room and handed the small purse to his father.  “I asked her about it later, as an adult and she told me of Barovia and Strahd. And, your stolen memories. She never confided in me exactly why she left them all this time, but after seeing you together for, can only assume it was out of love.” With that explained, his son left the room to join the rest of the Carpenter Clan outside.

                Alleria sighed deeply, her arms at her chest going even more rigid. She wanted to be selfish and scream about the injustice of it all.  For Strahd to have imposed his will on her, resting control of her future away, it galled and infuriated her. This impassioned fury was tempered only by the love she had felt for Mason. It kept her from an outburst. Mason had been a catch: handsome, funny, brave and kind. She couldn’t fault Baasha for feeling the same way she had.

                Mason opened the pouch and emptied the small vial into his hand. He stared at it for a long moment. "Balen, will you leave us, please." He son nodded and slipped from the room.

                Alleria eyed the vial. “What will you do with them now? You are an old man; your life is almost at an end.” She did her best to stem the bitterness that was creeping into her voice.

                 “I don’t want to dishonor Baasha’s memory.” Mason finally admitted with a deep sigh of his own. The full scope of what had just been revealed was still sinking in.

                 “I understand. We shared only a few nights together, Mason, but it was enough for me to have fallen in love with you. Enough for you as well. Otherwise, Strahd would not have done what he did. I will treasure what we had, but will not ask you for more.” The words were forced, and the last sounding less than convincing.  She looked away, not wanting him to see her expression.

                 “Will you grant an old…friend…one request?” The frail Half-Elf asked.

                 “Anything, Mason.” And this time words rang true.

                 “Will you change me into a wolf again?” His voice was hopeful.

                 “How? You should not have that memory.” She turned to look back at him, her expression one of confusion.

                 “I don’t. But, apparently, I shared it with others before Strahd took them from me. Baasha retold me many years ago. I think I would like to run like that one more time, before I am done.” He explained.

                While Mason may have given up adventuring when he settled down with Baasha, Alleria had not. She had been barely a novice when she first met Mason. But now, she was a full-fledged Archdruid. Mason’s request was a simple one.  She could do that for him, and so much more.

                Her gaze lingered for a long moment on the vial in his hand. What she wanted was a trade, but that hardly seemed fair or moral. Irritation bubbling to the surface again, she replied, “Curious that she should share that detail, but not others.”

                 “I’m sure she had her reasons.” Mason said softly.

                 “Her reason was that she was worried you would have picked me, over her. She trapped you, Mason, took away your right to choose, just as Strahd did. Why do you not see that?” Irritation had turned to annoyance as she grew impatient with the line of discussion.

                 “What does it matter now, Alleria?” A hint of pain rippled across his age lined face.

                 “It matters because I feel cheated and I am entitled to feel such.”

                 “Then why did you wait all these years to make your case? Why wait until I am at death’s door?”

                 “By the time I found you, you already had a life with Baasha. You had the children I would not give you, the wife I could not be. I was angry with Baasha, because I had assumed – correctly – that she had not given you your memories back. Angry with myself for taking so long to find you. But mostly, for wasting so much time in delaying with your memories in Barovia, for not giving them to you myself.” She admitted, pacing the small bedroom as she unloaded all that she had kept locked away for the last century.

                 “What was I supposed to do at that point, Mason? Go back and kill Strahd again? Go cry on his corpse about how unfair what he did was?” she added as she turned to look at him once more.

                 “You have another, what? Four-five hundred years still ahead of you, Alleria. You will find other loves.”

                 “You are undoubtedly right, but…”

                 “But you are a stubborn Elf and couldn’t leave it be?” he finished her sentence for her.

                She couldn’t help but smile. “You are probably right, again.”

                 “What do you want, Alleria? What, in the little time I have left, do I need to do to put your sense of injustice to rest?”

                 “Remember me, remember your feelings for me. I am not asking you to erase the joy of your family, only to honor what could have been, with me.” She would not let it go.

                 “Even with the passionate case you make, I still find it a little hard to swallow. I told you my feelings about a romantic liaison with an Elf.”

                 “Mason, would I be making such a fuss if what I were saying was not true.”

                 “And what then? If you speak the truth, what would me remembering change? We won’t be transported back in time, back to Barovia. It is not time travel; it is just my memories.” His bony fingers curled around the vial in his hand.

                 “What matters is that it is the true, and if you remember, it will at least in some small part, undo the feeling of unfairness I cannot shake.” She said firmly

                 “If it is the case, all you will have done is pulled me into your misery and heartbreak with you.”

                 “Mason.” She pleaded. “Do this for me. For the us that we did not get to be.”

                He sighed deeply, the exercise causing him to cough deeply for a moment. “It won’t undo what has been done, but since you came all this way, and you did try to do the right thing, with my memories…” He unfurled his fingers and clumsily uncorked the glass vial. He swirled the silver liquid inside around.

                 “Thank you.” She said, running her fingers through her long raven hair in almost a nervous fashion.

                The old man held the vial up to his nose, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The shimmering vapors disappeared up his nose as tiny wisps. For a long, still moment, Mason’s eyes remained closed, his face falling. The vial remained clutched in his hand. When he finally opened his eyes, they were glassy with emotion and it took him a few moments, blinking rapidly, to compose himself.

                 “Alleria.” He whispered. “How could I have ever forgotten what we had?” he dropped the vial, his hands moving to cover his face. “I was so horrible to you.”

                 “It is in the past, Mason.” She said softly, trying to contain herself. She moved to his bedside and placed a hand on his arm. Pulling his hands back from his face, she said, “The only thing that matters is where we go from here.” Close to him now, she could see just how old and frail he had become.

                Her managed a laugh, wheezing again as he did. “Easy for you to say, my sweet Elf maid. You still have centuries ahead of you without me.” He took her delicate, perfect hand in his aged ones, squeezing it as hard as he could.

                 “If you were serious earlier, we could still run.” She said, trying not to sound overly optimistic. “Leave this broken old shell behind for a while?”

                He smiled. “Of course. I would love nothing more.” His old eyes sparkled, “Well, there is something I would love much more.” Even though his face was wrinkled and worn, his smile was unchanged and transported her back in time.

                She mustered a lopsided smile of her own, an expression borrowed from his younger days.

                 “I do not think you could handle that in your current state.” She said, cupping his weathered cheek in her hand. “And if you try to mount me again, while we are shapeshifted, I will leave your feeble body stranded in the woods.”

                 “Aye, my sweet captain, I remember my vow. Like it was only yesterday. You cannot blame me for thinking it though.”

                 “I would be shocked otherwise. But, would you really think an Archdruid would not know how to cope with such…issues.” She replied, passing her other hand over his body. A murmured word in a magical tongue and Mason’s aging form was once again transformed into an impressive dark brown dire wolf.

                With his memories returned, so was their bond and she found his voice once again in her mind. _’That was a different spell?_ ’ he asked as he gave the new four legged form a good stretch. He stepped over the bed, he now dwarfed and stood beside her, leaning in against her.

                “Yes. Had I used the other, you would have been no more than a grizzled lame old wolf.”

                As he now filled most of the small cottage bedroom, Alleria waited to change as well. In an uncharacteristic act, she reached up to Mason’s now lupine face and lightly clapped her hand against his furry cheek a few times in an affectionate manner.

                ‘ _Oy now. I am not some pet you can manhandle._ ’ He said in mix of amusement and mock-indignation.

                A derisive snort was her only response as she made to leave the cottage. As she cleared the threshold, she too assumed the shape of a large dire wolf, signature white with her ritual scars pronounced against the pristine fur.

                Mason bounded out of the cottage with the energy of a new pup. Now clear of the confines of four walls, he was free to caper and romp around. His energetic movements translated into what would have been jumps, jugs or a victory cheer into the more lupine movements of a bow, trail wag and full body shake. He even went so far as to drop on his back in front of her, pawing up at her head with his fore legs.

                ‘ _You cannot imagine what it feels like to be able to move again! I feel like a young buck again. No more aches and pains, no more stiff limbs that refuse to move._ ’

                ‘ _Good, then you will have no excuse when I beat you_.’ She said whimsically, and then sprinted off.

                Still rolling around in the grass on his back, he asked, confused, ‘ _Beat me? I don’t recall you ever trying to beat me. Though you did bite me aplenty._ ’ After a couple of violent sneezes, he hopped to his feet, looking in Alleria’s direction just in time to see a white blur of fur disappear into the tree line.

                 ‘ _No fair! You distracted me with sexual notions. Do you know how long it’s been since I even romanced my own hand?’_ He called out to her mind, his humor carrying along with his words as he bounded off into the woods after her.

 

 

 

 


	2. Like Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The Original Characters belong to their respective player/creator. The NPCs and setting are not my own, I have shaped/adapted them to suit my needs, but they the property of Wizards of the Coast.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Again...based on a loose adaptation of a Curse of Ravenloft campaign. Those, these events happen more than a century later.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Mason and Alleria discuss the future, whats left of it and what is possible. She also reveals a surprise she has for him.

                The two ran for hours without tiring. They followed the Delimbiyr river before exploring the Misty Forest further. They did their best to avoid its inhabitants, especially the other Elves and Druids that lived there.  Mason was enthralled by the experience. Enjoying every moment, the enhanced senses the spell-shape provided him.

                 ‘ _I've been old for far too long_.’ Mason said to Alleria as they paused to take a drink at a small stream.

                She woofed in response, shaking excess water from the whiskers on her muzzle. ‘ _Not feeling so old tonight, I hope_?’

                He padded over to her, rubbing the top of his furry head against her neck. ‘ _No, but it still breaks my heart that so much time has passed_.’ His ears flattened expressively.

                 ‘ _Please, Mason, do not dwell on it_.’ She nudged his body with her nose, while swatting him with her tail. ‘ _We have now_.’

                 ‘ _You can’t keep turning me into creatures that aren’t on the verge of death. Sooner or later, Lady Death finds us all._ ’

                She nipped the side of his muzzle. ‘ _Stop_.’

                 ‘ _If only I was also an Elf._ ’ He sank down by the side of the stream.

                To hear him so remorseful, that finally broke her heart in two. She ended the spell-shape on herself at day down by the large brown wolf. Running her fingers through his thick fur, she talked softly to him, “I have a surprise for you.”

                 ‘ _Oh_?’ he asked, one droopy ear cocked to life as he lifted his head to look up at her. ‘ _Let me guess, you've developed an appetite for feeble old grey haired sailors? I realize satisfying you might be the death of me, but I’m willing to risk it_.’  His toothy maw cracked a smile, his long tongue lolling out the side comically.

                Alleria rolled her eyes, and then tapped his ruddy nose with a finger. “Only if the decrepit old fool is my favorite Half-Elf. Whom, I might add, may be old, but has aged like a fine Barovian wine. I do not think a bout of gentle love making would kill you, but, I would not want to risk it.”

                His ear drooped again. ‘ _I think being able to finally make love to my fair princess would lessen the heartbreak of all that has happened and ease the thoughts of my impending passing_.’

                She unshouldered her pack and laid down beside him. “Do not despair, my dearest. While you may have hung up your shield, I still had many more adventures.”

                He whined, ‘ _Don’t rub it in_.’

                 “Not that kind, you foolish pup.”

                 ‘ _Did you…?_ ’ his question trailed off.

                 “Did I stay true to you?” She asked and the paused for a moment, before continuing. “Yes, but to be honest, I was very busy and the opportunity – a worthwhile opportunity – never presented itself.”

                _‘Too busy for sex_?’ Even in his current form he managed to look aghast.

                She drew a deep breath. “Mason, stop distracting me. I am trying to give you a small piece of good news.”

                 ‘ _I'm sorry. It’s just since you changed back your scent has been filling my head with thoughts my body cannot act on._ ’

                 “This is what I am trying to tell you. I am afraid, like my magic, it is only another temporary solution.”

                He lifted his head, bringing it closer to hers, licking her face with his oversized tongue. ‘ _My apologies my fair maiden, do continue. But don’t scold me for continuing this disgusting, yet innocent, show of affection._ ’

                 “My handsome fool.” She said with a chuckle, not bothering to even try avoiding his slobbery kisses. “About forty years ago I fell in with a company of Elven treasure hunters who planned a thorough sack of Saharelgard.”

                He ceased his licks a after a few well-placed swipes of his tongue across her cheek and rolled onto his side. Squirming playfully, he made room for her beside him.

                She understood the invitation and shifted her body around, moving closer to fill the gap. “So, we were lucky enough to find a part that was untouched. An underground vault that was may have even belonged to Lady Saharel.”

                He curled his much larger body around hers prospectively. Though his legs didn’t bend that way, he did his best to try to hold her close.

                In her mind, she could almost see him beside her, young and full of life like the first day they met. “When we brought all our findings together, I knew right away which item I had to have. It took most of my share, but that hardly mattered. I was still living of our spoils from Barovia at that time.”

                With his head resting against hers, he pressed his damp nose to her skin, ‘ _Don’t stop there, what was it?_ ’

                Without turning her head to look, she reached into her pack. A moment later she was holding up a small iron bound box. Shifting slightly, she freed up her other arm from under one of his forelegs. Taking a key from around her neck she unlocked the box.

                 “It does not look like much, but even then, I had a feeling it might be of use.” She held up a tiny square bottle with an ornate stopper.

                Mason sniffed at it. “ _You've got me. What is it?_ ”  he turned his muzzle from the bottle to her cheek, licking her again.

                 “A potion, based on a very powerful wizard spell.  I had tried to learn the spell myself, but I lack the aptitude.” She admitted weakly.

                 “ _But what does it do, woman_?” he sounded as if he was losing his patience, or, at the very least letting his curiosity get the better of him.

                She placed the bottle back in its box for safekeeping and placing it down between their bodies. She continued, “It is a more powerful version of the spell shape magic I know. My magics can only turn you into beasts. This one can turn you into almost anything, beast or being.”

                His lupine face lit up, dark brown eyes going wide. ‘ _For how long_?’

                 “The spell lasts for an hour, I would assume the potion would as well.” She replied, scratching his coarse fur under his chin lazily.

                 ‘ _So you could turn into a dragon or giant or troll?_ ’

                That drew a laugh from Alleria, patting his furry cheek lightly. “I am amazed, Mason, my dear. For once you are not thinking with your cock.”

                 ‘ _You could turn into something with a cock_?’ Now he was truly confused. Perhaps the feel of her fingers running through his fur was distracting him, making him dopey.

                 “You fool. The potion is for you.”

                 ‘ _But I already have a cock, my love, you know that all too well_.’ His eyelids were drooping lazily, contentedly.

                She drew a long, suffering sigh that finally wound up a good-natured sound. “Must I spell it out for you, my fool? You will drink the potion, become a strong, young, Elf and for at least one hour, we will rut like a couple of farm animals.”

                 ‘ _An Elf_?’ he asked.

                 “A small favour. You could choose to be anything, Human, Dwarf, Elf…”

                _‘But, you would prefer I was an Elf?’_

                 “Yes, but not because I do not love you for who you are. But, as we are dropping my vow…” she rubbed his cheek again lightly. “We would only have an hour, and who knows how long together, after that. I would ask that something good, other than our own pleasure come from this magic.”

                _‘You want a child.’_ He guessed.

                 “I want your child, but one that will not leave me before…”

                _‘I know, my love. I understand. I always did._ ’ He said, leaning into her hand. ‘ _So, an Elf. A dark Elf, like…what was his name?_ ’

                Her eyes went wide at the thought of it, “You would not dare!”

                He chuckled, ‘ _No, I wouldn’t dare. But, I would poke fun_.’

                 “You can be a wicked, wicked man when you try.”

                Taking a slightly more serious tone, she said. “Your spell-shape will wear off soon. I will leave it to you what we do next.”

                Nosing at her cheek, he asked, ‘ _What are my choices_?’

                 “I am not completely certain, but I think, with this spell…” she motioned to the lupine body, “I could keep death at bay for quite some time. Or, we could accept the inevitable and use the potion soon.”

                 ‘Spend the rest of my life as a wolf, or horse, or some other creature? Or, share an hour of pure bliss with my princess and die happy?’

                She did her best to keep the tears back. Only nodding in affirmation as a lump formed in her throat.

                Those brown animal eyes looked thoughtful for a long moment, as he mulled over the choices she had set before him. When he finally spoke, his voice in her mind was soft and regretful. ‘ _As much as I would love nothing more than to spend decades more with you, Alleria, I think we both know it wouldn’t be much of an existence, living as your pet._ ’

                 “You would hardly be a pet.” She argued weakly.

                _‘Either way, we are using that potion.’ He winked up at her._

                She moved the box to the side and pushed herself up into a seated potion, her fingers once again stroking his fur. “That went without saying.” She said with a smile, the lump in her through dissolving a little.

                 ‘ _Perhaps once you have indulged me, my mind will be clear enough to decide on what comes next._ ’ He teased.

                As the next steps, had apparently been decided, Alleria began to undo the laces of her leather tunic.

                Mason lifted his head to watch, ‘ _You’re not suggesting…?’_

                 “What? No. I would rather not waste any precious Elf time with removing all of my armor, or your bed clothes.” She explained.

                _‘A wise plan, wise indeed. I would like to savor this moment for as long as I can. So please, take as much time as you wish.’_

                Her laugh was soft and full of genuine amusement. “You call me your princess, yet you wish me to act as a tavern wench.”

                _‘Princess in the streets, wench in the sheets. Can you blame me?_ ’ he asked, moving into a sitting position on his haunches. His bushy tail slapped against the leafy ground happily.

                 “No, My love. I would never fault you for being yourself.” She continued to unlace the bindings that ran down the front of her tunic, between her beasts. Once complete, she shrugged it off, revealing only a sheer muslin shirt underneath.

                Mason licked his chops unconsciously, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he watched raptly.

                Pulling her shirt up over her head, Mason was finally treated with his first sight of flesh. Her breasts were just as he had remembered, perfect in shape and size. He whined pitiably and moved to all fours. ‘ _Your nipples are like…_ ’ he was at a loss for words. ‘ _Change me back now, I need to wrap my lips around them!_ ’

                 “Patience, Mason. I will not have your heart giving out before it is time.” She stood as well, bending to pull off her boots before moving to unlace her pants.

                The brown dire wolf began to pace, his hungry eyes locked on his lover. On one pass, as she was stepping out of her leather trousers, he dared to place a long lick along her exposed skin. ‘ _You can’t bite me now, for touching you._ ’ He teased.

                He was right, but she did swat him on the nose playfully with her underwear. He grabbed them from her hand, in his teeth and pranced away from her playfully. He dropped them to the ground, pawing and sniffing at them. With his current senses, the scent of her was intoxicating. Lust was starting to cloud his mind.

                 ‘ _If you don’t change me back soon, I might be forced to through all caution and sense to the wind and mount you right here, right now_.’

                 “Like I said before, you can try, but I will leave you out here on your own.”

                The fading daylight was streaming through the treetops, casting a halo of light around Alleria’s naked body. The gentle breeze in the air shifted and played with her long dark hair, causing it to brush at her shoulders.

                Barely holding back his need to take her here and now, Mason fell to the forest floor on his back. Squirming around in the leaves and grass, he let out a low whine. ‘ _You’re going to do me in, right here, right now. My end is nigh.’_

                Alleria kneeled beside the frustrated wolf, ignoring his fussing. She said, “I am going to cancel the spell-shape on you now and then use some different magic to fortify your body.” Reaching out, she laid her hand on the dire wolf’s head. Its shape twisted and shrunk, fur receding until Mason had returned to his normal shape. He looked as weak and frail as he had before. Murmuring another set of magic words, Alleria caused his body to toughen and grow a little bit more robust.  “Hopefully that will keep safe while we liberate you from your nightshirt and get that potion into your body.”

                Even with his advanced age and frailty, there was no escaping the physical signs of the state she had put him in. The front of his thin nightshirt was tented slightly. She couldn’t help but smile at the effect she could still have on him.

                He followed her gaze downward and his pale brown eyes light up with mirth as well. “The ship might be old, but the mast is still holding firm.”

                 “Valkur has taken good care of his vassal, apparently.” Alleria said, bending in low to kiss him gently on the lips.

                 “I’m ready to ride out one last storm.” He said softly, reaching out to run his fingers through the strands of her long raven black hair. They traveled to her shoulder and down her arm. “You are more beautiful than I remember, if that were possible.” His fingers traveled, lightly brushing across the side of her breast before taking a nipple between a finger and thumb, rolling it gently.

                Carefully, she pulled his nightshirt up over his head, though needing to wait for him to finish marveling at her breasts for a moment. His clothing was tossed on the pile with hers, and now that his body was liberated from the confinements of its clothing, she moved her hand to grasp his burgeoning erection.

                Mason let out a soft gasp, eyes going wide as she reminded him of the long forgotten sensation. He shifted slightly under her touch, “That’s my captain. Going straight for the rudder.”

                 “Just trying to delay further, though I suppose there is really no sense in it.”

                 “I don’t want you to kill me with kindness before the main event.” He teased gently.

                Alleria reached over to grab the small box, and carefully took the small bottle out of it. Swinging one leg over Mason, she hovered over his frail body, on her knees. She removed the bottle from the box and carefully pulled the stopper from it.

                 “You said this potion would turn me into anything I could think of?” That mischievous glint had returned to his old eyes.

                 “I swear to The Mother….” She said, giving him a fierce look.

                 “Okay. Okay. An Elf.” He replied, one corner of his mouth tugging upwards into a grin.

                 “That is correct, an Elf. Like me. A male Elf, like me.” She stressed, recalling how he used to tease her about Tallonon.

                 “I swear on Valkur’s beard, I will use it to be a full blooded, male, woodland Elf.” He said with full sincerity, before adding: “With a perfect prick to drive you wild with.”

                 “Remind me to smack you, after you change. Now, stop talking for a moment…” she ordered and once he had complied, poured the glittery liquid into his mouth.

                The transformation wasn’t as dramatic as his change into a dire wolf. His body shape barely changed, slimming and smoothing out slightly. The biggest change was the disappearance of all his greying body hair, including the wiry patch surrounding his semi-erect manhood. His skin also darkened to a coppery hue like hers. His face lost that rugged human quality that she had actually grown fond of, slimming down and becoming more angular.  The points of his ears became more pronounced and his rich brown hair returned. Most importantly, the years melted away from him, until he was as fit and youthful as the day she met him.

                Alleria watched, mouth agape slightly. She had seen countless transformations, but never one like this. When his new shape was complete, she whispered. “You make for a very handsome Elf, dearheart.”

                Now that he was no longer frail and delicate, she stopped hovering, resting her body atop his.

                 “Not that I don’t enjoy our wolfy jaunts through the forest, my love, but this is much better.” He moved his strong hands to rest on her hips, holding her firmly in place against his now very hard cock.


	3. At Long Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally got around to typing/editing the big sex scene. What a chore. I hope people enjoy...
> 
> * * *

                A playful squeal escaped her lips as Mason took charge, flexing his returned youth. She was already  enjoying the strength of his spell form. Especially when he flipped her over, playfully, onto her back. Hovering above her now, he stared down longingly into her eyes.

                 “I am going to toss you about like a skiff in a storm.” He said with a grin, pressing his form firmly against hers. His stiff, excited, cock rubbed up against her thigh, leaving a trail of pearly of fluid along her skin.

                 “I wish I could draw this out for much longer than we have.” He said in low tones, his voice still holding a lupine, predatory, quality to it.

                 “With the look in your eye, my love, I feel more like a mutton chop than your lover.” She squirmed under him, making sure to rub as much of her bare, coppery, skin against his. The sensation of his hardness pressed against her leg only helped to feed the fire growing between her thighs.

                 “I assure you, my appetite will never be sated when it comes to you, my dearest.” He dipped his head low to nibble on her earlobe, tugging at the sensitive flesh with his teeth, making a playful growling noise.

                She ran her hands up the sides of his legs, applying just enough pressure with her finger nails to leave light scratch marks behind. When she opened her mouth to speak, his lips moved to hers, silencing whatever she had to say, with another kiss. All she managed was a soft, throaty chuckle as her hands continued to move up his body, to his firm, round, ass.

                Bracing himself with one arm, he ran the other down the length of her naked body, from shoulder to hip where he palmed the supple cheek of her behind. He pushed her leg up, fingers running down the back of her leg to her knee.

                In this position, at this angle, his cock was poised to finally enter her. To finally, after all that wasted time, know her completely. Even with all those lost years, the wait to claim her had not diminished.

                She felt it too, and as the tip of his hard shaft found the building warmth between her thighs, she sunk her nails into the firm flesh of his ass. When he did take the plunge, it was with urgency and need, one quick thrust that filled her completely. Her response could have only been a sharp, short gasp, a mix of surprise and pleasure.

                His mouth swallowed the noise as he continued to kiss her deeply, passionately. Any part of his body that could claim and possess, was his to grab and squeeze.

                When he finally pulled his lips from hers, straightening his upper body to do so, he looked down at her, offering an expression that was heavy with desire.

                He moved her leg, the one he still held by the ankle, to rest on his shoulder. He stroked the delicate skin along the curve of her calf, letting his hand fall to rest on the ground beside her. Shifting slightly, he quirked a brow at her.

                 “Shall I continue?” he teased as he turned his head slightly to kiss her delicate foot.

                If she were prone to tavern vulgarity, she would have given him a very colorful response, but, he hadn’t nicknamed her princess for lack of reason.

                She tilted her hips, allowing him even deeper access her warm passage. At the same moment, she flexed the muscles at her core around his rigid length that was deep inside her.

                It was his turn to gasp as the burst of sensations forced him past the edge of reason for very long moment.

                 “Gods” his voice was a bare rasp once he was able to speak once more. He leaned in to kiss her again, hard, on the lips. Tearing his mouth from hers, he slid his smooth cheek across hers. His breathing was heavy in her ear and he was silent for a long moment. He seemed as if trying to collect himself, savor the moment without losing full control.

                 “Warn a man next time, or we’ll be done before we’ve gotten started.” His tone was teasing, but with long, deep, ragged breathes between his words. His brow was now damp with perspiration. He sounded taxed.

                The look she gave in return was of sarcastic mirth. “It lasts an hour, my love, not a single erection.”

                Her hands resumed their trek over his form, taking in the shape of every muscle. She tilted her head to place a trail of light kisses along his neck, and finely pointed ear.

                 “Come to think of it, as one of my people, you remind me a little bit of one of my cousins.” She whispered, trying her best to feign seriousness.

                He laughed, “Wench! What a thing to say.” He pulled his face from hers, looking down at her once again, taking in the entirety of her form. His lips were not the only part of his body to withdraw from hers, he pulled his hard length from her as well, leaving barely the swollen tip of it inside her.

                Alleria’s hands scrambled to remain in contact with his body as he pulled away, one coming to rest on his hip. The other, not finding a piece of his body to grab, went to one of her breasts, where she toyed with one of her nipples. For both their enjoyment.

                The sight of it caused him to lower his hips once more, roughly sinking deep inside her warm, wet passage again.  Deep inside her, he made sure to grind against her, rubbing against that sensitive nub of nerves hidden within her warm folds of flesh.

                A sharp moan escaped her lips, and she let her head loll to the side, eyes closing for a moment.

                With each thrust inside of her, Mason gained more heat, more speed. The sight of her beneath him, the little noises she made each time he plunged deep inside of her. They were driving him mad with lust. His body was already at the edge of release; it had been so long and he had wanted this forever. He wanted to give in so bad, to experience that ecstasy with her. The sooner he gave in to the release, the sooner he could claim her again.

                He fought it. He wasn’t alone in the act. It wasn’t just about his desires. He moved in to catch her lips in his once more, nibbling them gently. His hand moved to slide her foot from his shoulder, holding her close to him, he rolled with her.

                Finding herself on top now, she shook her hair free, squirming to better position herself. Strong hands grabbed onto her hips, holding her firmly in place atop him. He bucked his hips upwards to meet her, impaling her on his hard shaft repeatedly with true hunger.

                She met each of his thrusts with a swift downward movement of her own. Each time she would lift her body up, nearly withdrawing from him, only to forcefully slam down once on him again. And again. She let her head back, each exhale of breath becoming louder in volume and sharper in pitch and need. “Mason…” she cried. “…yes.”

                He slid his hands from her hips, up her sides, to cups her breasts in each. “You are amazing.” He whispered, his voice still full of heat as his fingers greedily pawed her soft, supple form. “You _feel_ amazing.” He added, slowing his rhythm once again to delay his inevitable climax.

                Bracing her weight against his hands on her, she lolled forward.  Her hair fell loosely to frame her face and shoulders as she smiled down at him, her eyes heavy with hunger.

                Even though he had, for the moment, ceased his attentions to his womanhood, she hadn’t acted in kind. She was still sliding up and down his hard shaft. Tipping her hips back and forth ever so slightly to coax him in and out of her.

                 “You were worth the wait, woman.” He said with a gasp, his lids shutting tight as he tried to focus and retain control.

                Gently, he bent his arms to lower her back to him, his hands still kneading her breasts. Bringing her face to his, he kissed her deeply, once more. As he pulled his lips from hers he brushed them along the soft, perfect skin of her cheek, to the sensitive flesh of her neck, below her ear. He inhaled deeply, committing the scent of her sweat kissed skin to memory.

                Straightening his arms, he returned her to an upright position once more. Much like his lips, his hands roamed her damp skin, searching out the most sensitive parts of her body. One hand came to rest on her side, the other moved to the delicate smooth folds where her thighs met.

                He ran his thumb along the edge of each, to where they met before moving past them, to gently toy with the delicate nub of flesh hidden beneath them. As it elicited a startled gasp of pleasure from his partner, he continued to play with it, trying to coax more sounds.

                She was lost in the electric sparks of ecstasy surging along her nerves, radiating throughout her body. Despite the sensual overload she still managed to keep her rhythm and momentum on his cock.

                Mason felt the last bit on control stretch to its breaking point. His thrusts became more frantic, the sound of their bodies slapping against each other becoming louder – as were Alleria’s cries; short and sharp and laced with urgency.

                The only sounds in response from Mason were the ragged huffs of breath from a mouth that hung slack with near mindless desire.

                He forced his eyes open, gazing up at her. For a moment, it looked like he might speak, but instead he reached for her, grabbing her face roughly in both hands. He channeled the full heat of his desire into a kiss, pressing her lips to his with urgent need.

                Their bodies, still thrusting and writhing, moved in rhythm, building the heat between them to epic proportions.

                Mason let her go of her face, and Alleria whimpered softly into his agape mouth. Dragging her lips across the damp skin of his face as she sat back up. She looked down at him one last time before closing her eyes tight. She returned her focus back to the rising feelings inside of her, of the sensation of him entering her over and over again, repeatedly splitting her apart and stretching her slick passage to fit his hard, throbbing cock.

                As Mason buried his member deep inside of her once more he finally let go. Finally gave in to his own physical need. Finally released the building heat in his loins. He let it push him past the brink and sweep him along on wave after wave of ecstasy.

                One deep thrust became the final plunge as his cock erupted deep inside her, filling her with his seed. He was unable to suppress the tiny whimper that escaped his lips as his entire body shudder from the force of his climax, his cock twitching with each jet of sticky fluid. At the apex of his climax he ground his hips against her hard, holding her firmly in place around his exploding manhood.

                Alleria was very much aware of his climax, helping him along by clenching her passage walls around his shaft, milking it of its seed. She reached down between her lips, which were splayed around his shaft buried deep within her. Finishing what he had started, she resumed rubbing the sensitive nub of flesh between her slick folds.

                She shivered once, twice, from the base of her spine, all the way up to her skull as the combined sensation between her thighs swept her along with him. Her motions atop him changed from grinding to twitching as her whole form went taunt and rigid around him. Something akin to a purr passed her lips, “Mason…” she whispered as her body shock with another spark of pleasure as her own climax continued.

                The last spurts of Mason's seed spilled from his cock and, quite spent, he seemed to melt into the ground as his body relaxed completely and went limp under her. His grip on her hips and his cock inside her both softened as well. His mind was quite useless and his body unresponsive. He was still gasping softly, gulping, as if unable to take a full breath.

                He seemed to have little concern at the moment about regaining full control over his mind and body, though. He simply wished to bask.

                Alleria’s’ body started to relaxed atop him as well, but one last shock of pleasure shot through her body like a tremor. She went completely taunt, toes even digging into the cool earth as they curled in delight.

                He chuckled weakly. It was the best he could muster at the moment with his brain and body still akin to jelly.

                She was every bit was spent as he, but seemed to have some semblance of speech. Collapsing on top of him, she made herself comfortable, nestling her face into the crook of his neck. “Was it everything you dreamed up?” She asked with a chuckle of her own.

                He shivered at the sensation of her warm breath on his sweat damp skin.

                 “Yes.” He said softly, lifting an arm that felt lead filled, to tuck a stray couple of strands of hair behind her ear. “You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t wax poetically about it right now. I haven’t got it in me.”

                Alleria chuckled again. “You are no bard, even at the best of times.” Her voice was soft and intimate. “I know you enjoyed it. Even more than I did, perhaps…”

                With great effort, he lifted his other arm to wrap around her and tilted his head to rest against hers. “I could lay like this forever.”

                 “There is still time…” she pointed out.

                 “Aye, and I will have you again. In a minute. When I’ve had my fill of this precious moment.”

                She slid her foot idly up and down his calf, caressing his leg distractedly. “I am more than content to do just that, my love.”

                They laid quietly together for another handful of moments, savoring the peaceful comfort of their embrace. Mason wasn’t content to bask for too long though and in no time, he had Alleria flipped over on all fours, ready to take her again.

                He would do so two more times before the spell-shape potion wore off and he was returned to his natural, feeble old self.

                One again, they laid together on the cool earth, nestled in each other’s arms.

                It was approaching dawn when Alleria felt her lover slip away in her arms. However, she wasn’t able to muster the emotional fortitude to move until the sun’s early days finally touched them. With a heavy heart, she carried Mason's body back to his cottage and his kin, leaving them to care for the husk of their beloved patriarch. Without word, Alleria slipped away and began the journey back to the Dalelands.


	4. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of Mason and Alleria, for now. As I said, I had two ending ideas, this is the short version with a completely different ending.
> 
> * * *

               “Mother, are you sure Valkur will get my messages for father?” The young child asked, as he played in the coarse, damp, beach sand at the edge of the water. He looked very young, and given his Elven heritage, it would have been difficult for a non-Elf to gauge his age exactly.  In the water, nearby, a paper boat was propping in the surf.

                Alleria had never wanted to lie to her son, but he was still too young for the full story, for the difficult topic of death. “Yes, my dear one, your father has sailed on, beyond our reach. He is with his god now.” She explained.

                He continued to question his mother, “Is Valkur’s ship a big one? Does he even have a boat, or do they just ride the waves like porpoises?” the boy asked, looking back at his mother. He rubbed his hands across his breeches, trying to scrub the sand from them. He was less than successful, and as he reached up to brush his familiar mussy brown hair from his eyes, he peppered it with grains of sand.

                Alleria chuckled lightly, trying to picture Mason swimming through the waves like a dolphin. She could have done that for him while he still lived, but the opportunity, like so many others, had been lost to time.

                 “My little Mae’siin, I have no idea, but, I would like to think your father is somehow now part of the sea itself. It was one of his great loves.” She said softly, pushing herself up from the large grey, wave worn stone where she had been seated, to take him another of the paper boats they had made together.

                 “This one…” She said as she handed the red boat to him, “Tells your father all about how we celebrated your last birth day.” They had made a half or dozen or so of these latter boats as a way for Mae’siin to form a connection to his dead father.

                As the last message was launched into the choppy waves, the boy stood and slipped his tiny, sand covered hand into his mothers, squeezing it tight. “We will have time to visit Balen and his family?  I would like to see Old Oak again too.”

                Alleria nodded in response. “Yes, I believe we will. And, if I am not mistaken, the twins should be old enough to play with now.”

                The child’s face lit up in excitement and Alleria’s heart ached with a sudden mix of sorrow and joy. He had the very same twinkle in his eye that Mason had.

                 “And you will summon rabbits for us to play with?”

                Alleria laughed as she summoned them a horse to ride. “Yes, an entire score of rabbits for you and your cousins to play with if you wish.” She lifted him up onto the horse, and then climbed on herself. Glancing over her shoulder once more, before they left, she saw the tiny paper boats well on their way towards the horizon.


End file.
